New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan, who ranks second in Saints history with 94.5 career sacks in 10 seasons, said he feels rejuvenated this year and is “more hungry now than ever.” The soon-to-be 32-year-old is the longest-tenured player on the team with Drew Brees and Thomas Morstead no longer around. He said he still has plenty left in the tank after producing just

Minnesota Vikings safety Harrison Smith, who saw his streak of five straight Pro Bowl appearances end last year, is entering the final year of a contract he signed back in 2016. Smith said that he would like to sign a contract extension that would keep him in Minnesota for several more years. “I don’t have a solid answer for you, but obviously I’ve been here

New England Patriots quarterback Cam Newton and rookie first-rounder Mac Jones are set for a legitimate QB competition this summer. Jones, 22, was fast-tracked in organized team activities and mandatory minicamp and, up until the final day of minicamp, even looked better than Newton. Jones has had his rookie mistakes, but he’s been accurate and efficient in the short and intermediate areas of the field,

Former Denver Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, the second leading receiver in franchise history, announced his retirement from the NFL on Monday. The former first-round pick and first wideout taken in the 2010 draft emerged as the team’s No. 1 receiver when quarterback Peyton Manning arrived in Denver. Thomas earned five straight Pro Bowl selections and was the centerpiece of one of the most prolific

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Mecole Hardman has the best opportunity to be this offense’s breakout player of the year in 2021. Through minicamp, Hardman showed that he has made sizable improvements, whether it’s his route-running, his consistency catching the ball or his overall demeanor when on the practice field. “I think he’s hungrier than he’s ever been,” safety Tyrann Mathieu said of Hardman. Hardman

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes focused more on short and intermediate passes during organized team activities and mandatory minicamp after re-watching tape of the Super Bowl loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Mahomes completed 64 percent of his 130 passes between 10 and 20 yards downfield last regular season, but he thinks he can improve on that. Increasing the targets to running backs and

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins is “going to play a huge role” this season, according to offensive coordinator Brian Callahan. While most fantasy managers saw enough from the former Clemson wideout during his rookie campaign to retain their excitement, things became a bit uneasy after Ja’Marr Chase was selected with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. However, with quarterback Joe

Cleveland Browns defensive end Jadeveon Clowney (knee) took part in conditioning drills with his teammates last week at minicamp just six months removed from knee surgery. “I’ve been training extremely hard this offseason, so I kind of already have a feel of where I was coming here,” Clowney said. “I felt great coming in, and I feel great now.” The 28-year-old has yet to live

The Cleveland Browns and quarterback Baker Mayfield’s agents haven’t had substantive contract-extension talks, so work on a new deal could stretch into October. There is no sense of urgency on either side to get something done before training camp or the start of the season because they know it will happen. The Browns have already picked up Mayfield’s fifth-year option worth $18.858 million for 2022

Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said that tight end Colby Parkinson, who essentially had a redshirt year as a rookie because of a foot injury in training camp last year, “is going to be a factor.” Parkinson played in just six games, catching two passes for 16 yards in garbage time. The 6-foot-7 tight end is a physical specimen and should be a prominent

New York Jets wide receiver Denzel Mims will have to earn a starting role in training camp. The second-round pick in 2020 dealt with injuries in his rookie campaign and played in just nine games. Mims’ overall stat line wasn’t anything special, but he did flash an eye-popping 15.5 yards per catch. He missed some time with an illness during spring practice and was relegated

Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan said he’s been really impressed with wide receiver Auden Tate during offseason practices. “He sometimes gets forgotten, but he has a really unique skill set that makes him one of the best out there in terms of contested catches,” Callahan said. “And he’s huge. As a fourth receiver, he’s been good this spring.” It looks like Tate has progressed

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow’s every move during offseason practices was closely followed, and coaches and teammates have been raving about the increased velocity on his passes. Burrow adapted well last year without an offseason or preseason, and everyone has been buzzing about the offenses potential in his second year with the addition of first-round wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase and the healthy returns of running

Former Washington Football Team offensive tackle Morgan Moses is signing a one-year deal worth $3.6 million in base salary with the New York Jets on Friday, according to a source. Moses has never made a Pro Bowl, but he’s coming off arguably the best season of his career and should be an upgrade over the Jets current right tackle George Fant. The 30-year-old has been

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow said his connection with rookie wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase is “right back to where it was” after the two were a record-setting duo at LSU. Their pre-established chemistry factored into the Bengals decision to draft Chase at No. 5 overall in this year’s NFL draft. The two studied film together in college and have already demonstrated a willingness to spend

The New York Giants waived former Jacksonville Jaguars running back Ryquell Armstead on Thursday. Armstead didn’t play at all in 2020 while on the Reserve/COVID-19 list with the Jaguars, but he did manage to catch 14 of his 24 targets for 144 yards and two touchdowns in his rookie season in 2019. The 24-year-old former fifth-round pick out of Temple will hope to latch on

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians would like to see more of second-year running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn in the offense, but Arians said Vaughn’s chances of playing could hinge on special teams. “Ke’Shawn’s made a nice move but he has to be a better special teams players right now because of what’s in front of him,” said Arians. What’s ahead of him is Ronald

Washington Football Team running back Antonio Gibson has shown plenty of improvement during offseason practices this year. “It’s like night and day,” running backs coach Randy Jordan said. Transitioning from playing mostly receiver in college, Gibson rushed for 795 yards and 11 touchdowns in his rookie season in 2020. He averaged 4.34 yards per carry with seven runs of 10 yards or more in his

Baltimore Ravens wide receivers Miles Boykin and James Proche II could be on the roster bubble during training camp. Marquise Brown, Sammy Watkins and rookie Rashod Bateman are easily the team’s three best receivers, and Devin Duvernay’s and rookie Tylan Wallace’s spots are also secure. Boykin and Proche have performed reasonably well in offseason practices, but they are the two biggest question marks. Proche is

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Jaylon Moore, who spent last season on the practice squad, was involved in every offseason practice and made highlight-reel-type catches in several of them. With a ton of receivers ahead of him on the practice squad, it’s unlikely that Moore will make the roster. However, his improvement this year has been notable and impressive. Tight end Josh Oliver was the most